The Playdate

The day is finally here after the last minute cancellation (on the host's aka my part) about 2 weeks ago.
Athena looked forward to this day too coz' it's the day when mummy - the President declares no school for her - and she gets her friends over to play and get away everything scot-free and perhaps still have that slight little chance of eating sweets and chocolates etc...

Cookies on the table, sweets and snacks on the console + the prepared cookies (hope it's nice)

Suzanna was the first to come around 11+ bringing Jachelle - that cute smiley girl - as she needed to go back to teaching after that. Well, it's okay to have her around first so the 2 girls can warm up to one another. I dunno why but Suzanna had to be so paiseh to buy something for Athena. Just come lah! Empty handed is fine with me. She mentioned that the children are so envious of "Jachelle being invited to Athena's house." In other words the lucky other girl to pon-tang school.

Chatted with Suzanna for a while first, while she took a look at our house. Goash! Suzanna likes corners in her house while I find it a challenge to design the house. And needless to say she's the only person to say (so far) she love our house. Oh.... I didn't know Suzanna can play the violin also. She major in piano, second in electone and violin. Was telling her "yah! you can play on my electone here. My house is in dire needs of good music in the house, I've been playing trash music all these while."

When Suzanna left her in my care, still keep saying "are you sure you can handle?" I doubt her girl is as naughty as what she says she is.
Anyway, I got the 2 girls to have their lunch first- which took loooooong

Jachelle and Athena (both are classmates in school & YJC)

Jachelle is a very smiley girl - I really like her!

Followed by Angeline & Alexandra, had their lunch. By the time everyone had their lunch, Moo Han came along with Nathan. Just nice! (unfortunately, Jasmine couldn't bring Beatrice & Keverne along coz' little Beatrice not feeling well)

Got the ball rolling on the cookie colouring as we're already behind time. Anyway these are the cookies before :

A little of briefing to Moo Han and Angeline and they're on their way. Moo Han was commenting that the icing came out from the border... yah lah, bought new icing sugar from BIY this time (after reading in the papers, can anyone remember what's the other baking supply store besides that and Chong Trading??) + my skills not that good, my 'sandbags'-bordered icing not 'tall' enough to prevent the 'flood'-icing from flowing out. Hee!

Pleaze lah! My this cookie is to bluff children - bian jiak bian jiak kind one lah!

Ps. Note to parents, the letters on the cookies were deliberately scrambled for them to find their plates, coz' I gave away the 'apples' to parents and baked new batch this time round.

The icing for the colouring also seems a little more liquidy. Maybe still not enough icing powder? But if put too much, will be tooo sweet (and worst still get billed for their medical expenses- haha! Should have discussed with Suzanna's hubby to charge lesser for consultation, and I'll ask them to go to my appointed doctor.Hee!)

Alexandra with guidance from Angeline - the super woman who was carrying Aleciabeth; her heavy camera. (I felt bad for not being able to help her with Aleciabeth or asking KZ to help her. But with my Aricia poking and hitting Iggy's head all the time, Aleciabeth might be her next victim.)

Putting the sprinklers and quins on the cookies, covering everything.

I told them they can put them if they want.. and thought they'd do it one by one to decorate nicely. Turned out the children poured out everything. Eh.... that's not the purpose. But oh well! Kids are very tum-sing, the more the better.

I was to help Jachelle but was preparing another set of icing just in case they needed it, coz the last session the kids needed extras. In the end, didn't really use it so all poured away. If I had known, I would have helped 100% with Jachelle & Athena.

Athena has done it before many times but I guess this time with a different icing, it's more liquidy, she presses out the icing from the syringe, it really spurts out - thus her cookies didn't look that nice.

If I was doing this with her alone, I swear I'll be nagging. Then my friends will see the other side of me...

Moo Han helping Nathan - they've got a nice pink. My girl has got the most disgusting colour! She made a dark green colour poo-poo.Yucks!

They were told to change colours by mixing colours (which is why I only bought the primary colours - red, blue, yellow) when they struggled to think how to get 'orange'. Haha! Then Moo Han needed brown, we were discussing how to get the colour and asked her to try to experiment it. She managed to get the colour which does look a little like brown.

** anyway, after the session when I was packing up. I noticed the Batik thing that Suzanna passed me has the guide behind. Should have read that, then wouldn't burn my depleting brain cells **

RED + YELLOW = ORANGE
RED + BLUE = PURPLE
BLUE + YELLOW = GREEN
RED + YELLOW + BLUE = BROWN

Ahem, it's more of the mummy's job - really! Kudos to them for not needing to nag at their children. I'll nag and nag at Athena. Perhaps... maybe coz' Athena very lazy chin-chye type that's why. Whereas their children do things properly.

Ta-da. The cookies!!

* end of session, I realised one more plate - Keverne's plate is still intact - was telling them they can take it to do it but.. I guess I forgot to pass it to them myself.

The kids ran into the room to play. Great! Left me an empty table to quickly clear the things without any interruption.
Apparently too busy to entertain the kids and friends - sorry!
Brought out the snacks, I didn't know mom bought some yu-char kuay etc.. (thought I asked mum to help me cut the fruits that Moo Han brought? She said yes.. in the end.. I only realised she didn't do it after the whole thing ended. So Moo Han, the fruits all for me now!!)I was feeding the pig - Moo Han called herself that!

Did the chocolate moulding as it seems the kids aren't interested in doing pizza. Gasp! I've got a big loaf of bread, two packs of cheese - eat until my stomach also fermented, ham which have to quickly finish coz' it spoils easily too! Athena was the only one who wanted to do it. Poor thing! Never mind I will do it with her alone this weekend.
You know what's the problem with this playdate & the last session? Half the time they do something for a short while and then run off to play in the room.

This time round, even before I could take a photo of them, they finished and ran off. I had to do the touch up for them.

I guess I didn't buy enough chocolate bars- only 3 bars. It seems they can't do much. Funny! How many did I buy the last time??

The mummy's more interested in this than the son. But I'm glad Nathan has finally warmed up & leaving his mummy alone.
Athena, the gluttony girl stayed on while the rests were in her room to do another one.

Umm...... playful girl!Scooped the chocolate to eat. Jachelle was eating her strawberry Yan Yan while doing it. Dipping her stick in the chocolate bowl from there. Nathan wanted to do it, but his mother - the prim & proper lady unlike me - stopped him. And he obediently listened. Goash! If it's Athena, she'll whine and try means to pester you.

Suzanna came to bring Jachelle home. Felt bad that she had to take the time to bring Jachelle to & fro, offered to do the chauffering for her but she declined. Actually felt worse that I couldn't arrange a Tuesday this time round so that Suzanna can make it, coz' no more Yamaha school holiday. Otherwise the cancelled session was on a Tuesday & Athena didn't have her music lesson.

Took Jachelle's Dora chocolate from the freezer - not enough time so it was rather melty and destroyed when I took it out. Sorry!

A photo of the group - which I realised - all ex-crew except for Suzanna - but seeing how crazy she is, she can be one. Heehee!

Angeline carrying Aleciabeth, Moo Han with Nathan, Jachelle, Alexandra, Suzanna, Athena, me

Athena and Nathan

Mischievous boy! Wanted to snap photo of him and he deliberately kept moving his hands

Moo Han - my batchgirl & Angeline - my LSS
(goash! I look so fat in this picture! Next time cannot sit in the middle, and must slant one side!!)

Alexandra & Athena - I dunno what they were up to

The messy room!

Her poor doggie was not spared either! ill-treated with stickers

In all, it was a fun messy and tiring day for me. I dunno eventually how happy Athena is finally coz' at some point in time, she felt neglected and was almost teary for being left out when no one played with her. And worst when she was being locked out of her own room. She didn't seem too pleased when they took some of her stickers (anyway she has alot) to stick on her album.
In this case, I don't think it was the 'controlling of her territory' feeling... but rather her selfish behaviour of not wanting to share things with others that made her sad.
Whatever it is, a playdate is a playdate. She's supposed to share her things.

Will I do it again? Yes. But will have to wait until her birthday party is over. Now, I have to prepare for her birthday!

This is totally out of the point
*Moo Han told me that it's amazing that I can handle two kids by myself. Now, she would have met Angeline, the far more capable person than me.
*Saw the photos of the Halloween walk. So interesting, pity I had to miss the fun. Count me in next year!

Post verdict :
1) more tiring this time round. Maybe coz' Aricia is bigger so demand 100% attention from KZ. Thus I was doing everything by myself
2) Forgot about the apron thingy for the children. Suzanna let Jachelle wear one, Athena asked for her own and I forgot about the other 2 children. Bad host!